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The Red Cross and the Red Crescent emblems at the museum in Geneva. Photo: Julius Kusuma.

Thirteen Palestinian Arabs, including at least 3 Red Crescent employees were arrested on Monday on suspicion of attacking IDF troops on January 20, 2012.

According to the Shin Bet security service, the thirteen suspects are residents of the Amari refugee camp near Ramallah. They include Salah Barael, Omar Abu Rwayyis and Ahmed Hattab; all Red Crescent employees. Abu Rwayyis is also “affiliated with Hamas” and “… a goalkeeper on the Palestinian Olympic soccer team. Hattab is alleged to be a weapons dealer.

On January 20, 2012, the suspects fired at IDF forces operating in Ramallah using Kalashnikovs. An IDF vehicle was damaged in the attack.

According to the Shin Bet, following the attack, the suspects “hid the weapons in an abandoned building” and then transferred the guns to Mansour Abbas, who is “an officer in the Palestinian General Intelligence Service in Ramallah and is responsible for the guards at the Red Crescent.”

The Shin Bet reported that the suspects were planning further “shooting attacks on IDF forces in West Bank cities and checkpoints.”